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| HOME | NEWS | COMMENTARY | MANI SHANKAR AIYAR | |||
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October 7, 1998
ELECTIONS '98
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How Readers reacted to Mani Shankar Aiyar's last column
Date sent: Fri, 25 Sep 1998 12:10:14 +0800 I was pleased to note the return of Mani Shankar Aiyar, India's most articulate and erudite columnist on Rediff. Whether one agrees with his views or not, the force and conviction with which he presents them is something to be commended. His wit, his command over the language, his breadth of knowledge make each one of his columns a joy to read. Apart from his well-formed opinions, he packs so much information in his columns that one can learn much more from a single column of Mani's than by reading an entire book. Something you can't say of the pompous air heads (like Swapan Dasgupta) and imbeciles that infest the Indian journalism scene these days. More power to you Mani! Keep writing. Mohan
Date sent: Sun, 04 Oct 1998 17:28:24 PDT I think it is time for Rediff to get rid of Aiyar as India Today did recently. He talks nonsense. I will never read an article by this guy in the future. I don't know what to make about this rubbish by Aiyar. Sampath
Date sent: Sun, 4 Oct 1998 12:40:42 -0500 This is the stupidest column I have ever read. Why does he indulge in propaganda when he writes? Is there any similarity between the Pakistan of 1948 and the Pakistan of today? Why should we be stupid enough to give a loan to a neighbour who has harassed our countrymen by promoting terrorism? Advani's reaction is not about Muslims and Hindus, it's about India and Pakistan. Would Mani Shankar Aiyar give a loan to his next door neighbour if he turns out to be a nuisance to his family and society. Would he do it? Such columns just help in strengthening the BJP's nationalistic mentality. I for one, would never vote even once for the Congress or for any party that has people like Mani or Mulayam. Valli G
Date sent: Sat, 03 Oct 1998 08:05:56 PDT The problem with Rediff has always been its attempt to resurrecting the careers of any Tom, Dick and Harry who has lost one's occupation and hence (extravagant) living means. Mani Shankar Aiyar, after trying out the Indian Civil Services and a hopeless political career, seems to have taken refuge in the Rediff columns. Anybody who finds a "deep reflection" in Mulayam's offer for Rs 20 million to Pakistan, or even Rs 5 to Pakistan should be first punished under stringent anti-nationalist laws. Mani has always been a self-proclaimed Gandhi family loyalist -- even they have now thrown him out of their clan. And yes, when Mahatma Gandhi spoke about Rs 550 million, it was according to the international convention. What about now? Do we owe Pakistan Rs 20 million for killing a large number of Indians? What does Mani mean when he likens Advani to Nathuram? In the same sense then Mani can be linked to any sycophant in the world. If Pakistan cannot stand up on its own economy, there are a lot of agencies like the WB, IMF and OPEC etc who are happy to bail them out even after a poor record of loan repayments etc. If India would have found itself in Pakistan's situation, do you think Benazir or Imran would have made a similar gesture? No Mani, it is high time you start thinking about India's self respect rather than giving a damn about a Pakistan's. And oh yes, to start with, how about thinking for your own? Sunil
Date sent: Sat, 03 Oct 1998 09:35:32 +0800 Mani has gone bonkers!! His single point strategy -- vilifying BJP and its government on anything and everything - is seen through clearly in each of his articles. It seems that he thinks all people are dumbheaded. Keep him off-line, then Rediff may save some (disk) space (lesser articles and consequently lesser feedback on these articles). Giri
Date sent: Fri, 02 Oct 1998 14:04:08 -0700 What do you gain by supporting Mulayam? I know. This way you have something against Advani which you enjoy so much that you can even support Pakistan just to accuse Advani and the BJP. Remember, what Mulayam said WAS WRONG and if Advani reacted sharply, it was the minimum he could have done. BTW, what exactly do you mean by the statement that "Mulayam's suggestion merits deeper reflection?" You justify it in the way of Bollywood script writers -- according to them a villain can always turn to be a good fella in the last scene of a Hindi movie. Wake up Aiyar. Look around. See reality and please please see it as it exists and not as you would like it to be. I personally want the conflicts between India and Pakistan to come to an end (and I am positive it will happen in my lifetime), but as a proud Indian I find it impossible to support Mulayam's statement.
Shoi Udashi
Date sent: Fri, 02 Oct 98 08:56:24 -0800 Before I say anything else, please allow me to be frank enough to say that I used to think you were one gem amongst all other columnists who wrote just for the heck of it, without knowing themselves what are they were writing. I feel the same for you too, rather strongly. First of all, how can you compare Mahatma Gandhi with Mulayam? Isn't this utter nonsense? A crooked politician who can go to any extreme just for the sake of votes: this is what Mulayam is. He who doesn't even know what's happening in the rest of the world, who doesn't give a damn about the progress of the country, whose sole motive of living is spreading casteism in society, how in the world, can you compare that guy to Mahatma Gandhi or for that matter can you call that guy sensible? As for your vote remark on Advani, do you really think that he did this for votes? Don't you agree when he says that this loan will be used for cross-border terrorism? As for the trade thing, well once we have those relations, of course that will lead to greater understanding and hence lesser problems. But where does the understanding come in this loan matter. Mr Aiyar, please stop writing just for the heck of writing. Before saying anything please consult your conscious, if it allows you then write. Mukesh
Date sent: Fri, 02 Oct 1998 09:26:48 -0500 The article is utter nonsense. To compare Advani to Godse and Mulayam to Mahatma Gandhi. Has Mani lost his mind, or sold his soul. I wonder... Rahul Jain
Date sent: Fri, 2 Oct 1998 09:53:27 -0400 I think Mani Shankar Aiyar should retire from journalism. His logic is absurd.
Ajay Patrikar
Date sent: Fri, 2 Oct 1998 08:14:12 -0400 It is people like him, Mulayam Singh and Jaichand that lead to the suffering of Hindus and hence growth of religious intolerance. I am not against helping anybody (even Pakistan). I read their newspaper and was surprised to find that they too want peace (they want Kashmir first is beside the point here). They blame India for that reason. As far as Muslims are concerned Bangladesh also has Muslims but no one minds helping them. Reading Pakistani newspaper for a few more days revealed their hatred for Hindus. Some say that Indian Muslims are original Hindus and got converted in the past for convenience and will get reconverted if they find it more beneficial. They do not respect Mahatma Gandhi. Ghauri who plundered India is glorified (don't forget the missile). When Mulayam was near the border he had to duck to avoid the firing. It is really generous of him to suggest helping Pakistan and of course Mani is more generous when he compares him to Gandhi. In spite of all this, I don't mind helping Pakistan if some good can come out of it. Pakistan will say you are trying to buy Kashmir with 20 billion rupees. Doesn't Mulayam know this? The reasons are obvious. He thinks and it is a truth that many Indian Muslim have a soft corner for Pakistan. It is really sad that those Muslim didn't opt for Pakistan during Partition. They are creating problems for patriotic Muslims too. The only good they can bring is if they convince Pakistan to love Hindus. That they cannot do because Pakistan doesn't care about them and perhaps doesn't treat them well too (ask Indian Muslims who have been to Pakistan). Maulana Azad said that Indian Muslims were the greatest losers during Partition. Mulayam, Mani try to play on these people just for their political benefit and create more fissure between Hindus and Muslims. They should think before they speak. Vijay
Date sent: Thu, 01 Oct 1998 22:35:48 -0400 I was completely disgusted and revolted by the views expressed by Aiyar in this column. How can he justify India giving Pakistan a bailout when 50% of India's population lives below the poverty line, and when Pakistan has fought three wars with India and continues to fight a proxy war? Is he insane?
Raju
Date sent: Thu, 01 Oct 1998 17:53:57 -0700 I wish Mani Shankar Aiyar would stick to his politics and not make a pretence of being a journalist. Anything to beat the BJP with and anything in turn to rationalise that. If you can draw parallels between Godse's reaction against Gandhi and Advani's fury against Yadav in the matter, then one can also equate Aiyar with smart men!
Date sent: Thu, 01 Oct 1998 16:28:57 -0500 Mani Shankar Aiyar and Mulayam Singh have the same designs. They want to give Pakistan a loan of 20 billion rupees. Everyone knows why and they don't need to explain by bringing in Gandhi and Godse. Mani is a great articulator of words as we all know. First let him tell us how much of the money will go to kill innocent Kashmiri Hindus, women and children. They don't care a damn about Hindus being massacred. Has Mani Shankar Aiyar ever written about Kashmiri Pandits and how they can be helped? Why is he so concerned about Pakistan's problems? With leaders like Mulayam and writers like Mani, India doesn't need enemies.
TR Rao
Date sent: Thu, 01 Oct 1998 12:49:43 -0700 You wrote: "Still, would even a token gesture be in order? Advani, fuming, asks whether Mulayam can guarantee that Pakistan will not divert the money to fund cross-border terrorism in Kashmir and elsewhere. The question seems misplaced. For, after all, it is Advani's government that is engaged in strengthening economic and commercial ties with Pakistan and it is the BJP prime minister who wants the South Asian Preferential Trade Area to become a South Asian Free Trade Area as soon as possible. Can Advani or Vajpayee ensure that the gains that accrue to Pakistan from such intensified economic cooperation will be put only to such uses as are approved by the Government of India" Your argument is a lot more twisted than one can comprehend. You think if Rs 20 billion is offered to Pakistan on a platter, won't they lap it up? And why not? You have provided no concrete argument to support that theory. Sir, we do not make a gesture with Rs 20 billion. Billion is a big number, if I may remind you. It's another thing to have a bilateral commercial arrangement with neighbours where both the parties benefit. Anyway, old habits die hard. After all it was the Congress government in 1947 which "donated" 55 crores to Pakistan. They conveniently used it for the "Kabayali" insurgency in Kashmir. Sir, I just want to respectfully tell you that on the Internet, most people have a depth of understanding, and you are fooling no one by presenting a ludicrous argument just because you want to find fault with Vajpayee and Advani. Sameer Kuppahalli
Date sent: Thu, 01 Oct 1998 13:44:26 -0600 The comparison Mani is making sounds completely illogical. In 1947, India had more than one reason to help Pakistan. The money India gave to Pakistan in 1947 belonged to Akandh Bharat (India, Pakistan and present Bangladesh) before Partition. So Pakistan had all the right on that money. Pakistan does not have any right on the Indian tax payers' money now. We are spending most of our tax money in fighting Pakistan sponsored terrorism. Can Mani think of at least one reason to bail Pakistan out of the problems apart from appeasing Indian Muslims. Can he promise that the money India will be giving will not be spent in developing Ghauri II or Ghazni I, which may lead to more nuclear tests by India and more sanctions on India. Mani, just because Mulayam and Laloo promised support to the Congress doesn't mean you should support what ever they say. Think about it twice, before supporting or opposing anything. Srinivasa Reddy Manda |
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